TEXAS EASTERN TRANSMISSION LP (SPECTRA ENERGY CORP)
gas_transmission Incident — — June 4, 2013
Incident Information
| Incident Date | June 4, 2013 |
| Operator | TEXAS EASTERN TRANSMISSION LP (SPECTRA ENERGY CORP) |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 28.34550, -92.76467 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | INTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $787,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
A SURFACE SHEEN WAS DISCOVERED IN EAST CAMERON 293 ON MAY 27, 2013 BY A PLATFORM OPERATOR. THIS INITIAL OBSERVATION WAS REPORTED AS A SURFACE SHEEN OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE CONTRACTOR O'BRIEN TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER (REPORT 1048450). SURFACE BUBBLES, A TYPICAL INDICATOR OF A NATURAL GAS PIPELINE LEAK, WERE NOT OBSERVED. AS A PRECAUTION, TEXAS EASTERN TRANSMISSION SHUT IN THE SEGMENT OF ITS PIPELINE NEAREST THE SHEEN ON MAY 27, 2013 UNTIL THE SOURCE OF THE SHEEN COULD BE DETERMINED. AFTER SHUT IN THERE WAS NO PRESSURE DROP THAT WOULD HAVE INDICATED A LEAK. TEXAS EASTERN TRANSMISSION DISPATCHED A DIVE BOAT MAY 28, 2013 TO THE SITE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE SHEEN. DUE TO INCLEMENT CONDITIONS THE DIVE BOAT WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE LOCATION UNTIL JUNE 3, 2013. ONCE THE DIVERS ARRIVED ON LOCATION AND WERE ABLE TO DIVE, THEY DETERMINED THERE WAS A SMALL AMOUNT OF BUBBLES ORIGINATING FROM A PINHOLE LEAK DUE TO INTERNAL CORROSION ON TEXAS EASTERN TRANSMISSION, L.P. 16-INCH LINE 41-A-5 NATURAL GAS PIPELINE. THE METHOD OF REPAIR TO THE PIPELINE WAS INSTALLATION OF CLAMP.
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.